Middletown man admits shooting neighbor

GOSHEN — A Middletown man pleaded guilty Tuesday in Orange County Court to first-degree manslaughter in the shooting death of his neighbor, a registered sex offender.

HEATHER YAKIN

GOSHEN — A Middletown man pleaded guilty Tuesday in Orange County Court to first-degree manslaughter in the shooting death of his neighbor, a registered sex offender.

Richard Brown, 69, took the plea in Orange County Court, admitting that he shot and killed 54-year-old Arthur Twyman on Wickham Avenue the night of Feb. 6, 2012. Richard Brown was arrested three weeks later and charged with murder.

In exchange for the manslaughter plea negotiated by Brown's lawyer, Joseph Brown (no relation), and Senior Assistant District Attorney Maryellen Albanese, Brown will get 15 years in prison and four years of post-release supervision by parole.

Richard Brown's wife watched from the courtroom gallery, accompanied by a relative. They have attended each court date.

Twyman's history as a convicted rapist and a registered sex offender didn't factor into his death. There had been tensions between the neighbors before the shooting, officials said at the time.

As he took his guilty plea, Richard Brown initially said he was trying to stop Twyman's dog from killing him. Then, after Judge Nicholas De Rosa moved to cancel the plea and set a trial date, Richard Brown acknowledged that he intended to seriously harm Twyman.